Gaming for me is secondary, but YUGE 6k battery, 3.5mm audio port mated to the high-performance phone at the same price as other flagship phones - I say why not. In fact, after I read most the article I fail to see the negative points. Why the camera was tested only with daylight? Yes, I expect it to lag behind Huawei/Apple/Google night mode, but I am a potential buyer curious to see to how much exactly it lags in quality. to dqniel - beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
It's pretty ungainly looking to say the least, but it is a lot of innards for a less than typically insane price for a top end phone. Once they're a generation or so older like the first Razer gaming phone is now, it will likely be possible to obtain one for 1/4th or so of the original asking price which might make it worth scooping up as it will still be relatively powerful at that point.
the only reason I do not buy one of the ROG phones is simply I NEED wifi calling on tmobile.. I do no want to try and use other apps etc.. allow the use of voLTE and WIFI calling and it would open the market up for many more consumers.
Alternatively, if you use Skype you can pay a fairly minimal amount of money to get a phone number and that will work both over WiFi and cellular data as a VoIP phone. It may fill your needs and mitigate the need for native WiFi calling support on the device.
There's also a ton of mistakes in the spec sheet. It's 128/8GB or 1TB/12GB, there is no 256GB variant but there seems to be a 512GB one. It's UFS3.0 not 2.1. There are two C ports, which is highly unique but not noted. Possibly other mistakes.
Not really specific for this phone but would it be possible in general to indicate what version of USB (2.0, 3.* gen * (x *), ... PD ? ) the phone supports ? USB-C is not very helpful.
Bottom type C is 2.0 Side is 3.1 Now someone might get headache when they see me transferring files to PC and my phone connected to it through the side.😅
This was touched on, but if you can take the modest battery hit, a 120hz display (and low latency touch input) is an amazing experience *outside* of games. Pretty much any app that involves scrolling feels so much more responsive.
I also found that by setting animations to x0.5 in developer settings everything's more snappy. Turning it off entirely may save another fraction of a second but it may seem subjectively laggy.
But seriously, when can we have a flagship with 5000mAh battery? Who is going to be the first one to do it? Oneplus? Huawei? Xiaomi? I know it's not going to be Samsung or Apple.
i play 2 competitive online mobile games regularly. also while in public transport. that made me realize that a feature a game oriented, or well, any high end phone, should offer is redundant internet connection with fast switching to which connection is better.
so... dual sim with two data lines active. but also acess to 2 wifi networks at the same time with the same function. making sure the connection stays ups as well as possible.
does any device have something like that already?
or does the dualsim mobile data in other devices work better than in my phones?
I don’t know what games you play but the ones I do can’t cope with multiple connections - if they detect a network or IP change they usually treat that as a disconnection. So you’d need the game companies to get onboard too. I suspect the IP change thing is to do with your session being intercepted and that’s why it disconnects you.
good idea, i think just any vpn usage would have this effect, so i will try that. but still needs some setting or software on the phone that switches the connection faster than what i experienced so far.
interesting. thanks. its mushroom wars 2 and hearthstone for me. hearthstone is forgiving regarding connection issues. can even reconnect for a while. turn based game.
I think we're heading in that direction and these early entries into adding external case plastics and lighting that might appeal to the target audience are indications that some PC manufacturers are seeing the need to enter the phone reseller and/or production market in order to establish corporate identities ahead of other potential competitors. When it comes to playing games, the end objective is amusement and as we move forward, the underlying device that provides said amusement is certainly subject to change. Look at how we have transitioned with other elements of entertainment and information consumption for examples. Families used to gather around a single, large radio console to listen to evening programming together. They eventually shifted to doing the same thing with television consoles. Television became more commonplace and more personal so more of them started popping up in individualized spaces as cost of ownership declined so they ended up in bedrooms in addition to centralized areas. Computers went the same way, from single PC per household to personalized devices and now that same data processing is moving from larger to smaller, even more portable systems via phones that will naturally supply a certain amount of entertainment value via video games. It's just the way of things that change is constantly afoot.
I've been using this phone for a week now and as a daily driver, it is great. In terms of photography, it is not that great but when using it with GCAM, it improves your shots. It is a gaming phone so the camera is good overall. As for the games, almost all games can run on ultra high settings and still run in a smooth manner. Don't worry about the temps going high 'cause if you bought the strix edition one, it comes with aero cooler v2 and aero case. I found a good article about this phone https://casinovalley.ca/best-picks/best-gambling-p...
GSMA's review is more comprehensive. It became clear that they really put a lot of work into this small volume device, if this is a "cynical marketing exercise" then what isn't?
Anything Google touches basically turns into a platform for data collection that exploits the user and yest the phone is ugly. What sorts of alternatives did you have in mind?
A phone with a large battery, no notch and a screen which isn't wrapped around the edges of the phone. Perfect but for the fact it looks like it was designed for a 12 year old (with rich parents?) and the camera sucks
1. 3rd party cases look serious enough. Also consider removing the back panel and the whole paint job inside like how some people made Samsungs transparent. 2. Port Gcam.
These devices are simply the new [very] personal computers. The fact, that they evolved from phones is about as meaningful as to say that humans are a special type of single-cell organism, that stopped separating completely after cell division.
And when you look at the typical daily usage pattern of these VPCs, you'll find that many, especially younger users, will go days without using the phone functionality at all: That's Mom & Pop stuff, ancient history and typically only used to remind them of chores left undone and thus silenced!
The phone moniker only serves to justify why these devices you're supposedly buying to own, are kept tethered to vendors and telcos, who have no business whatsoever on your very personal computers, after they habe become your property and digital brain extension or Internet of Bodies limb.
Please help ending this abuse if only by calling them by what they are instead of whence they originated eons ago.
It's not just a kid thing. I could easily get by without any sort of more conventional PC by relying exclusively on my phone. In a roundabout way, I've already done that by neglecting to boot up a PC for several days and more often than not, I'm only turning them on to fetch updates or do something that benefits from a keyboard (less often now since I have a bluetooth keyboard paired up with my phone). The reverse situation where I would have to resort to only a PC and omit the phone would be more troublesome because of a lack of effective communications mechanisms and a lack of portability.
Absolutely, and with this dock, I am seriosly considering to buy this as a mobile workstation: I do have some usable notebooks, quite a bit slower than this device (e.g. ChuWi 12.3).
Of course, there is yet some other elements missing: The clamshell dock, which allows me to use this device as a notebook and the ability to run Linux desktop apps with the proper GPU acceleration: The current hacks running a Linux userland in a chroot() and an X-Server on the Android end eat too much 'snappyness' to.
I'd keep a dock in every major office location I work in, with either a nice 4k screen or dual monitor setup, keyboard and mouse and then use the clamshell on planes and trains if the ride is long enough to make it worthwhile and otherwise just use it handheld or with WiDi for presentations. A serious conference room could have a WGig dock.
It's not a hardware issue any longer, just "opposing software empires".
As a ROG2 owner, happy to see you reviewed this 'phone'.
I didn't buy this for gaming.
For me, the purchasing decision lay with the battery size, the front facing speakers (great for GPS in the rental car to be heard), the dual sim & dual 4G (it was 4G+3G on S8+), headphone jack, and finally, lack-of curved screen - which I shall never part money for again.
Mine is the 128GB/8G version, it was too cheap to ignore.
Oddly, my Slingshot Extreme Physics score is 4,837 vs your 4,541 (ran Sep 27, 2019 22:08, check it online), which would easily top your chart. Glitch in the matrix? Dunno.
I have a Chinese ROM, (and it was updated this morning). Whilst its rare to see the fact that it is a Chinese ROM, you do see it from time to time, in some screens, despite being set to English.
I had it on launch-day. There was no 'sim card manager' in the s/w!?! I was unable to change data sim, choose a sim with which to respond with sms etc without popping a sim out to force a pop-up. This has now been corrected.
Additionally, I initally never saw my dual sims report 4G & 4G. This has also been somewhat corrected, but as I sit in the UAE now, I am 3G & 4G. There is no way to force 4G & 4G from the menus. It will either do it (not often) or not, you have no choice. You can however set 3G & 3G, or 2G & 3G etc (but why). On the plus side, whichever sim is chosen for data, with take over the 4G role. So something here still very much requires attention.
I miss the wireless charging, but the battery-size somewhat negates that. It was nice with the Samsung to drop it on the pad, everytime I sat down at the desk, and know it would be further topped-up when I picked it up to walk away again. And it was nice having the water protection as well, (considering we have a pool), as I have drowned a new handset before...Hmm, maybe I should back this thing up.
Everyone makes a huge fuss about the design of the phone, however, I bet 90% of us are using a case which hides the design of your phone anyways.
What matter sis the screen to body ration as, to be honest, everything but your screen will be covered anyways.
Pretty much the only people who use their phones without cases are high profile reviewers, and that's because they don't commit to any phone for any extended period.
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dqniel - Monday, September 30, 2019 - link
Incredible hardware. Hideous design.boredsysadmin - Monday, September 30, 2019 - link
Gaming for me is secondary, but YUGE 6k battery, 3.5mm audio port mated to the high-performance phone at the same price as other flagship phones - I say why not. In fact, after I read most the article I fail to see the negative points. Why the camera was tested only with daylight? Yes, I expect it to lag behind Huawei/Apple/Google night mode, but I am a potential buyer curious to see to how much exactly it lags in quality.to dqniel - beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
PeachNCream - Monday, September 30, 2019 - link
It's pretty ungainly looking to say the least, but it is a lot of innards for a less than typically insane price for a top end phone. Once they're a generation or so older like the first Razer gaming phone is now, it will likely be possible to obtain one for 1/4th or so of the original asking price which might make it worth scooping up as it will still be relatively powerful at that point.Lord of the Bored - Monday, September 30, 2019 - link
You mean "awesome stealth fighter design", right?DanNeely - Monday, September 30, 2019 - link
So, to indicate that you're in "X mode" they light up a Y shaped area on the default desktop. I don't even...hemedans - Monday, September 30, 2019 - link
Thanx for review, probably my next smartphone, am Glad someone is moving away from Notch/glass/bezell less madness.Clamier - Monday, September 30, 2019 - link
Yep my too after reading i love it !hanselltc - Monday, September 30, 2019 - link
Phone size, Wafer Eater for scale. Nice.Kishoreshack - Monday, September 30, 2019 - link
Incredible HardwareIncredible Design
Asus you just have upped the game
hope you lead the industry & push the boundaries
skavi - Tuesday, October 1, 2019 - link
lolDoc Rob - Monday, September 30, 2019 - link
the only reason I do not buy one of the ROG phones is simply I NEED wifi calling on tmobile.. I do no want to try and use other apps etc.. allow the use of voLTE and WIFI calling and it would open the market up for many more consumers.Kishoreshack - Tuesday, October 1, 2019 - link
Volte is enabled & WiFi Calling tooyou might have got wrong memo
TheinsanegamerN - Thursday, December 26, 2019 - link
Not in the USA it isntPeachNCream - Tuesday, October 1, 2019 - link
Alternatively, if you use Skype you can pay a fairly minimal amount of money to get a phone number and that will work both over WiFi and cellular data as a VoIP phone. It may fill your needs and mitigate the need for native WiFi calling support on the device.Kishoreshack - Monday, September 30, 2019 - link
@iancutress Where is the Display Analysis?Very sad you skipped on it
s.yu - Tuesday, October 1, 2019 - link
There's also a ton of mistakes in the spec sheet.It's 128/8GB or 1TB/12GB, there is no 256GB variant but there seems to be a 512GB one.
It's UFS3.0 not 2.1.
There are two C ports, which is highly unique but not noted.
Possibly other mistakes.
Death666Angel - Tuesday, October 1, 2019 - link
Probably some copy-paste issues in the table. And the second USB C port is mentioned on the first page below the picture of the connector.s.yu - Wednesday, October 2, 2019 - link
Yeah it was most certainly noted elsewhere, but the spec sheet should be comprehensive.Kishoreshack - Monday, September 30, 2019 - link
Why there is no display analysisNever seen Anandtech such an important aspect
Kishoreshack - Monday, September 30, 2019 - link
Ian Cutress you should have let Andrei do the display analysis or the review itselfhalf review is never expected from Anandtech
Vince789 - Monday, September 30, 2019 - link
Also it would have been interesting to see the GPU power consumption, and how it compares to the regular 855BramEPC - Monday, September 30, 2019 - link
Not really specific for this phone but would it be possible in general to indicate what version of USB (2.0, 3.* gen * (x *), ... PD ? ) the phone supports ? USB-C is not very helpful.Sharma_Ji - Monday, September 30, 2019 - link
Bottom type C is 2.0Side is 3.1
Now someone might get headache when they see me transferring files to PC and my phone connected to it through the side.😅
Notmyusualid - Saturday, October 5, 2019 - link
@ Sharma - THIS is true! Thanks for the tip buddy!Here is one for you - International ROM working on Chinese 'Tencent' 8G/128G version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVIWWMtqHp4
I won't try it until back home, so I don't leave myself high & dry on the road with a bricked phone.
Notmyusualid - Saturday, October 5, 2019 - link
@ me - sorry, here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPrQidE5H0o
brucethemoose - Monday, September 30, 2019 - link
This was touched on, but if you can take the modest battery hit, a 120hz display (and low latency touch input) is an amazing experience *outside* of games. Pretty much any app that involves scrolling feels so much more responsive.s.yu - Tuesday, October 1, 2019 - link
I also found that by setting animations to x0.5 in developer settings everything's more snappy. Turning it off entirely may save another fraction of a second but it may seem subjectively laggy.airdrifting - Monday, September 30, 2019 - link
LOL 6000mAh battery, take my money please.But seriously, when can we have a flagship with 5000mAh battery? Who is going to be the first one to do it? Oneplus? Huawei? Xiaomi? I know it's not going to be Samsung or Apple.
Sharma_Ji - Monday, September 30, 2019 - link
Only asus did this with 6Z , @ 5000mah battery.Lochtror - Monday, September 30, 2019 - link
helloi play 2 competitive online mobile games regularly. also while in public transport.
that made me realize that a feature a game oriented, or well, any high end phone, should offer is redundant internet connection with fast switching to which connection is better.
so... dual sim with two data lines active.
but also acess to 2 wifi networks at the same time with the same function. making sure the connection stays ups as well as possible.
does any device have something like that already?
or does the dualsim mobile data in other devices work better than in my phones?
plewis00 - Monday, September 30, 2019 - link
I don’t know what games you play but the ones I do can’t cope with multiple connections - if they detect a network or IP change they usually treat that as a disconnection. So you’d need the game companies to get onboard too. I suspect the IP change thing is to do with your session being intercepted and that’s why it disconnects you.brucethemoose - Monday, September 30, 2019 - link
Asus could theoretically host a VPN (or contract someone else) to keep your visible IP the same across all connections.That would also be MUCH less work than mucking around with Android's network handoff code.
Lochtror - Tuesday, October 1, 2019 - link
good idea, i think just any vpn usage would have this effect, so i will try that. but still needs some setting or software on the phone that switches the connection faster than what i experienced so far.Lochtror - Tuesday, October 1, 2019 - link
interesting. thanks. its mushroom wars 2 and hearthstone for me. hearthstone is forgiving regarding connection issues. can even reconnect for a while. turn based game.mw2, real time, more disconnects.
Wardrive86 - Monday, September 30, 2019 - link
I buy a smartphone with gaming specifically in mind. There now you know one person who does that 😏AdhesiveTeflon - Monday, September 30, 2019 - link
I don't get it, is somebody planning to load up battlefield V on this thing and play it?PeachNCream - Tuesday, October 1, 2019 - link
I think we're heading in that direction and these early entries into adding external case plastics and lighting that might appeal to the target audience are indications that some PC manufacturers are seeing the need to enter the phone reseller and/or production market in order to establish corporate identities ahead of other potential competitors. When it comes to playing games, the end objective is amusement and as we move forward, the underlying device that provides said amusement is certainly subject to change. Look at how we have transitioned with other elements of entertainment and information consumption for examples. Families used to gather around a single, large radio console to listen to evening programming together. They eventually shifted to doing the same thing with television consoles. Television became more commonplace and more personal so more of them started popping up in individualized spaces as cost of ownership declined so they ended up in bedrooms in addition to centralized areas. Computers went the same way, from single PC per household to personalized devices and now that same data processing is moving from larger to smaller, even more portable systems via phones that will naturally supply a certain amount of entertainment value via video games. It's just the way of things that change is constantly afoot.johansyren - Tuesday, November 10, 2020 - link
I've been using this phone for a week now and as a daily driver, it is great. In terms of photography, it is not that great but when using it with GCAM, it improves your shots. It is a gaming phone so the camera is good overall. As for the games, almost all games can run on ultra high settings and still run in a smooth manner. Don't worry about the temps going high 'cause if you bought the strix edition one, it comes with aero cooler v2 and aero case. I found a good article about this phone https://casinovalley.ca/best-picks/best-gambling-p...Tams80 - Wednesday, October 2, 2019 - link
Not Battlefield V or it's like, but numerous people have made careers out of mobile gaming (and not just game developers).Lord of the Bored - Monday, September 30, 2019 - link
"Game Genie"How nostalgic.
asfletch - Tuesday, October 1, 2019 - link
IKR? Those things were great on the Mega Drive - remember waiting for codes to be published in gaming magazines...gawd I feel old.Flunk - Monday, September 30, 2019 - link
No hard controls, same hardware as everyone else. This is a cynical marketing exercise, like "gaming" chairs.asfletch - Tuesday, October 1, 2019 - link
Umm...what about the L and R buttons on the side and the snap-on joypads?s.yu - Tuesday, October 1, 2019 - link
GSMA's review is more comprehensive.It became clear that they really put a lot of work into this small volume device, if this is a "cynical marketing exercise" then what isn't?
iranterres - Monday, September 30, 2019 - link
If you want a true gaming phone, an Android won't be for sure, an iPhone 8 runs circles around it and it's almost half the price.Wardrive86 - Monday, September 30, 2019 - link
😂 You do notice the Iphone 8 is more towards the bottom of the benchmark charts?Sharma_Ji - Monday, September 30, 2019 - link
I heard somewhere iPhone doesn't have headphone jack and it takes ages to charge that 3hr. Gaming battery with that 5W charger.hemedans - Thursday, October 3, 2019 - link
And can it run dolphin, Citra, ps2 emulator, psp emulator etc?Notmyusualid - Sunday, October 6, 2019 - link
@ iranterres - are you high, or something?mrochester - Tuesday, October 1, 2019 - link
1) hideous 2) android.The two reasons no one should but this phone.
mrochester - Tuesday, October 1, 2019 - link
*buy.PeachNCream - Tuesday, October 1, 2019 - link
Anything Google touches basically turns into a platform for data collection that exploits the user and yest the phone is ugly. What sorts of alternatives did you have in mind?AdhesiveTeflon - Wednesday, October 2, 2019 - link
You want us to get a Blackberry instead?Azurael - Tuesday, October 1, 2019 - link
A phone with a large battery, no notch and a screen which isn't wrapped around the edges of the phone. Perfect but for the fact it looks like it was designed for a 12 year old (with rich parents?) and the camera suckss.yu - Tuesday, October 1, 2019 - link
1. 3rd party cases look serious enough. Also consider removing the back panel and the whole paint job inside like how some people made Samsungs transparent.2. Port Gcam.
abufrejoval - Tuesday, October 1, 2019 - link
These devices are simply the new [very] personal computers. The fact, that they evolved from phones is about as meaningful as to say that humans are a special type of single-cell organism, that stopped separating completely after cell division.And when you look at the typical daily usage pattern of these VPCs, you'll find that many, especially younger users, will go days without using the phone functionality at all: That's Mom & Pop stuff, ancient history and typically only used to remind them of chores left undone and thus silenced!
The phone moniker only serves to justify why these devices you're supposedly buying to own, are kept tethered to vendors and telcos, who have no business whatsoever on your very personal computers, after they habe become your property and digital brain extension or Internet of Bodies limb.
Please help ending this abuse if only by calling them by what they are instead of whence they originated eons ago.
PeachNCream - Tuesday, October 1, 2019 - link
It's not just a kid thing. I could easily get by without any sort of more conventional PC by relying exclusively on my phone. In a roundabout way, I've already done that by neglecting to boot up a PC for several days and more often than not, I'm only turning them on to fetch updates or do something that benefits from a keyboard (less often now since I have a bluetooth keyboard paired up with my phone). The reverse situation where I would have to resort to only a PC and omit the phone would be more troublesome because of a lack of effective communications mechanisms and a lack of portability.abufrejoval - Wednesday, October 2, 2019 - link
Absolutely, and with this dock, I am seriosly considering to buy this as a mobile workstation: I do have some usable notebooks, quite a bit slower than this device (e.g. ChuWi 12.3).Of course, there is yet some other elements missing: The clamshell dock, which allows me to use this device as a notebook and the ability to run Linux desktop apps with the proper GPU acceleration: The current hacks running a Linux userland in a chroot() and an X-Server on the Android end eat too much 'snappyness' to.
I'd keep a dock in every major office location I work in, with either a nice 4k screen or dual monitor setup, keyboard and mouse and then use the clamshell on planes and trains if the ride is long enough to make it worthwhile and otherwise just use it handheld or with WiDi for presentations. A serious conference room could have a WGig dock.
It's not a hardware issue any longer, just "opposing software empires".
29a - Tuesday, October 1, 2019 - link
Is there anyway to get uBlock to block these advertisement articles?zeeBomb - Tuesday, October 1, 2019 - link
Is this the first real superphone???PeachNCream - Tuesday, October 1, 2019 - link
Ian doesn't mention a weakness to kryptonite and I didn't see it wearing a cape so at this point the answer is unclear.Notmyusualid - Sunday, October 6, 2019 - link
Ha!Chad - Tuesday, October 1, 2019 - link
Pretty amazing device. Glad to see someone pushing boundaries in some ways.sonicmerlin - Tuesday, October 1, 2019 - link
If they want to make a "gaming phone" why not add some physical controls like the Nintendo Switch?hemedans - Thursday, October 3, 2019 - link
This Asus phone has physical control like switch, but you have to buy them separate.sonicmerlin - Tuesday, October 1, 2019 - link
I just realized I can't edit my comment so... at least include a controller accessory that attaches to it directly and acts as a cover as wellDianaDSmith - Wednesday, October 2, 2019 - link
sherazNotmyusualid - Wednesday, October 2, 2019 - link
As a ROG2 owner, happy to see you reviewed this 'phone'.I didn't buy this for gaming.
For me, the purchasing decision lay with the battery size, the front facing speakers (great for GPS in the rental car to be heard), the dual sim & dual 4G (it was 4G+3G on S8+), headphone jack, and finally, lack-of curved screen - which I shall never part money for again.
Mine is the 128GB/8G version, it was too cheap to ignore.
Oddly, my Slingshot Extreme Physics score is 4,837 vs your 4,541 (ran Sep 27, 2019 22:08, check it online), which would easily top your chart. Glitch in the matrix? Dunno.
I have a Chinese ROM, (and it was updated this morning). Whilst its rare to see the fact that it is a Chinese ROM, you do see it from time to time, in some screens, despite being set to English.
I had it on launch-day. There was no 'sim card manager' in the s/w!?! I was unable to change data sim, choose a sim with which to respond with sms etc without popping a sim out to force a pop-up. This has now been corrected.
Additionally, I initally never saw my dual sims report 4G & 4G. This has also been somewhat corrected, but as I sit in the UAE now, I am 3G & 4G. There is no way to force 4G & 4G from the menus. It will either do it (not often) or not, you have no choice. You can however set 3G & 3G, or 2G & 3G etc (but why). On the plus side, whichever sim is chosen for data, with take over the 4G role. So something here still very much requires attention.
I miss the wireless charging, but the battery-size somewhat negates that. It was nice with the Samsung to drop it on the pad, everytime I sat down at the desk, and know it would be further topped-up when I picked it up to walk away again. And it was nice having the water protection as well, (considering we have a pool), as I have drowned a new handset before...Hmm, maybe I should back this thing up.
s.yu - Wednesday, October 2, 2019 - link
What did you get to cover the back?Notmyusualid - Wednesday, October 2, 2019 - link
It shipped with a clear plastic hard case. But I changed it for a clear rubberised one.s.yu - Thursday, October 3, 2019 - link
...So you chose to leave the back visible, alright, that's fine too.Lolimaster - Wednesday, October 2, 2019 - link
Is the whitepoint that bad?tranceazure1814 - Friday, October 11, 2019 - link
The best gaming phone has been out for ages, the mate 20 X, pity this site hasn't reviewed it.Fidelator - Sunday, October 13, 2019 - link
Everyone makes a huge fuss about the design of the phone, however, I bet 90% of us are using a case which hides the design of your phone anyways.What matter sis the screen to body ration as, to be honest, everything but your screen will be covered anyways.
Pretty much the only people who use their phones without cases are high profile reviewers, and that's because they don't commit to any phone for any extended period.